BLUEWATER
Well the fish on the scene at the moment is the beautiful and very tasty Mahi Mahi or Dolphin fish. (Not to be confused with Flipper) Most charter and private boats fishing out wide have encountered them in numbers during the recent Ladies Ribbons Tournament, that we haven’t seen for many years. Any floating debris or current line seems to be holding good numbers and they are all reasonable size. Small pusher lures or rigged Garfish have been the weapon of choice. Trolling a little faster than normal will always rouse their interest and multi hook-ups are the norm. As a table fish they have very few equals and in spite of the flesh not being pure white when filleted they cook up beautifully. As well as that there isn’t a better looking or more colourful fish when the light up. The electric colours are a sight to see and not ever forgotten. Photos show the colours but they cannot duplicate the real thing fresh from the water. Mixed in with them have been some Tuna, Wahoo, and Mackerel making for a great day at sea. Coral Trout have moved up into the shallows and spawned hopefully and are now moving back into some deeper water areas. Mixed in with the various Nanny’s and Emperors they have started to make up some good catches for those taking advantage of the good weather. We should see some more of the weather over the Xmas period allowing some trips to the reef.

INSHORE
The small amount of rain that we have had, has been an advantage but we need heaps more. The rivers haven’t changed colour to any degree or had any significant rises to get the fish on the move. Reports of numbers of large Barramundi sitting in staging areas waiting for the floods to come indicate the spawning run hasn’t started and I encourage all fishermen to avoid these fish as much as possible to allow them every chance of having a good breeding season when we do get rain to go with the recent closure of netting in the local area. Mangrove Jacks and Finger Mark continue to show at most of the local headlands and inshore rubble patches along with the inshore wrecks. Soft Plastics jigged around these areas have been turning up plenty of these great fighting and eating fish. The only trouble with this is the Mackerel that are still about chopping off anything that is dropped into their area. A very short and as light as possible wire should solve most of these bite offs. Keep this as small and light as possible as the fish will shy away from anything that is visible. Grunter have been out on the Hospital Flats on the larger tides. Fresh fillet of Mullet or Garfish fished on a light rig should do the trick and with a Full Moon on Xmas day the Tides over the break should be just right provided we don’t get too much wind and rain.

FRESHWATER
With the School and Xmas holidays upon us there will be many of you out fishing the fresh. Whether you are just fishing the head waters of our local rivers or heading off camping and fishing at some isolated area it is a great time to get out and chase a few in the fresh water. Hopefully we will get enough rain to fill our rivers back up and a flushing flood to go through them all. This will freshen them all up and get the fish on the move. During the heat of summer fish the deeper sections of the river as the water will be a little cooler in these areas and more attractive to the fish. The rule of thumb being the higher the sun the deeper the lure. So fish Poppers and Topwater lures early and late in the day and deep divers in the middle of the day when the sun is overhead. A word of warning; with the dry conditions and low water levels the Saltwater Crocs and Bull Sharks have moved much further up the rivers than usual. Be aware of this and don’t take any risks. Assume that any large waterways will hold them.

TINAROO DAM
Full Moon Xmas day and holidays will see plenty of action on the dam. Reports I have been getting indicate there are plenty of big Barramundi about and with low water levels mean less water for them to hide in. The 5m mark has been a popular area to start your search. Points and Bays are also attractive areas to fish. Full moon and days around make for great night time fishing as long as it isn’t bucketing rain. Trolling is the most common method but casting lures in an area that Barramundi will swim past such as a headland is also very productive. If you are fishing at night make sure weather you are in a boat or paddling a kayak that you are visible to the other users of the dam. There has been many reports of near misses by boats on the move not seeing another craft that was unlit. If you cannot be seen you are putting a target on yourself for others that don’t see you. As I mentioned last month the reintroduction of Red Claw stocking has been approved and it would be great if we could get a big wet that fills the dam and a stocking at the same time to give the brood stock a chance to spread out and form breeding colonies to bring the Red Claw population back to it’s former glory. This fishery on it’s own attract many many visitors to the area and any injection into the local economy would be of great benefit. If you are fishing or just visiting Tinaroo over the next month stay safe and keep those around you safe.